


Strange Love

by That_Nerd_Charlie



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: F/F, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-10-14 23:43:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20609297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/That_Nerd_Charlie/pseuds/That_Nerd_Charlie
Summary: She likes her, and he might like him. It's the 21st Century and theres nothing wrong with gay, extraterrestrial love.If he could tell him, that is.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first IZ fic! I got really into the show after the movie and I needed some Good Content (tm). So I figured I'd make some!

The sky was dark, the only source of light came from the faint glow of his laptop, and the twinkling of stars above. His backpack had been dumped of all school-related contents he was forced to lug around during the week, replaced with what was absolutely necessary. His binder for binoculars, his homework for a flashlight, and the notebook stayed for important discoveries. The high schooler stretched, taking off his headphones and rubbing his ears to soothe the ache from hours of wear. Dib put them back on but paused after hearing a sound. He checked the monitor of the compact satellite he was listening to, but the audio track showed nothing for the last 3 hours. He took them off, waited, and chalked it up to a trick of his brain. When he put them on once more, another garble was heard. Dib shrugged it off.

A tap on his shoulder made Dib jump, slamming the laptop closed in reflex. “I knew it! You’re wat-”

“Calm down, and shut up Dib.” His little sister, Gaz, stood before him, impatiently tapping her foot. “You’ve been on the roof since school got out. It’s dinner time. You know how dad gets.”

“Ah, yes. The Everyone-Must-Be-At-The-Table rule.” Dib slowly started to pack up his things. “Dinner time already? I haven’t even started to scan for-”

“Shut up.  _ Come on _ .” Gaz snapped, heading for the trap door leading into the house.

Dib could tell from her tone that she grew tired of waiting, and she was hungry. He sped up packing his things and raced after her, climbing down the ladder so fast he almost slipped. Somehow, Gaz was already at the table. Dib took his seat across from her. Looking down at his plate, he could see why she wanted him here so quickly. It was pizza night. She waited approximately 1 second after he sat down to take a bite, almost smiling.

“Ah, son! There you are! Were you out playing with your toys, again?” Professor Membrane sat at the head of the table, not bothering to take off his goggles or lab coat. He rarely did.

“Dad, there not  _ toys _ !”

“But they are,” Gaz added, finishing her first slice and reaching for another one. “And yes, he was.”

“Gaz!” Dib protested in regards to his sister blatantly giving out his previous whereabouts.

“Son, you need to socialize more. Invite a friend over, like your sister!” Membrane clasped his hands together, smiling underneath the white fabric. He noted the look Gaz shot him and chuckled. “Oops. I suppose that was confidential information!”

“You have friends?” Dib cracked a smile. Their father was terrible at keeping secrets.

“Shut up! Yes, I have friends!”

“Wow. Defensive, are we? Who is it?” Dib pressed, under the safety of the table. After years of bickering and fighting, their seats were as far away from each other as possible. Strict dinner table manners forbid Gaz from standing up and whacking him, so the comment was met with a bone-chilling glare.

“ _ Dib, so help me I will turn your insides out without breaking a sweat _ .” Gaz hissed, filling her plate once more. “I am  _ Not _ having any friends over.”

“Ah, I see. Did your friend change her mind? What was her name? Tak?” Membrane hummed, obviously missing her hints.

"Taaaaak?" Dib sang, eyebrowed raised and a smirk on his face.

“DAD!” Gaz jumped up, flipping dib a certain finger out of Membrane's field of vision.

“Gazlene, manners,” He softly hummed.

Gaz grumpily sat down while Dib grinned, pushing his plate up.

“Dad, may I be excused?” Dib said with fake innocence.

“Already? You haven’t finished a slice.”

“I wasn’t that hungry.”

“Very well. Clear your plate, son.”

Dib held back a chuckle, looking at his sister as he stood up with his plate, knowing her appetite would keep her there for a while.

Gaz leaned in and whispered something to her father, and the adult nodded along.

“Son,”

“Yeah?”

“I will be leaving for a conference tonight. I won’t be home until next week.” He cleared his throat.

“...Okay?” Dib raised an eyebrow, putting his plate in the sink. Where was this going?

“You are going to have a friend over.” It didn’t sound like a suggestion.

“A friend? What do you m-”

“I will invite your little green friend over for a playdate tomorrow. Gaz will be busy with her friend, so you two will leave each other alone.”

“But dad! He’s- He’s not my friend! He’s my arch-nemesis! And I’m too old for playdates! I’m 15!” Dib stuttered in shock, nervously adjusting his glasses.

“Nonsense! I must get going, now. I need to pack. Gaz, thank you for that wonderful suggestion.”

As his father left the table, Dib’s eyes fell on Gaz. He pointed one crooked finger at her. 

“ _ YOU-!” _


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing Gir is so therapeutic. I love my stupid baby.
> 
> Also, Zim's pov

"Look at him, Gir. Pathetic. I bet that puny Earthling doesn't know I'm keeping a close eye on him." Zim mused, looking through the telescope pointed in the direction of the Membrane Household. 

"Why are you watching him?!" The robot squeaked, struggling to climb the ladder to reach the platform the telescope sat on. He climbed a step and let out a high pitched yell, causing Zim to grumble in response.

“Because! No matter our plan, he always seems to be one step ahead and stops us from taking over this ball of dirt. We have a mission, and the Tallest are worried. I have been here too long.” Zim explained, peaking through the lens once more. “Look at him. Look at his stupid hair, still pointy.”

“You like watching hiiiiiiiimmmmmmmmmm!” Gir giggled.

“Nonsense! It’s for the mission! The mission, Gir. Do you remember the mission?”

“It’s too… Uh…. Hug as many piggies as possible!” he grinned with pure joy, pulling out a stuffed pig from God knows where.

“No, Gir.” Zim sighed, taking this opportunity to ramble about himself. “Our mission is to take over and prepare Earth for the arrival of Our Tallest. They put me, their greatest invader, on the job. It is of the highest importance that we succeed. And that means keeping close eyes on The Dib.”

“Let me see!!!”

“Very well, Gir. I expect your full attention on the human.” Zim stood away from the lens, marching off the small platform above Gir and stepping down three stairs. Gir raced up and pressed his face to the telescope.

“Ooooooh! Awhhhh!” 

“What do you see. Gir?”

“Nothin’.”

“Gir! This is serious! Report your observations to me this instant!” Zim snapped, stomping his left foot.

“No, Boss. They ain’t nothin’ to see. Just’a roof.” Gir pointed to the direction of the house.

“ _ WHAT? YOU LOST HIM?”  _ Zim shoved his robot aside and leaned in, discovering that Dib had left his outpost on the roof.

“Did I? I’m sorry. Do you want a cookie?”

“Gir,” Zim spun around, facing him. “I am going to monitor The Dib using the ship. Stay here, and watch that house. Let me know if he comes back.”

Gir’s blue eyes momentarily shifted to red, his broken coding still detecting a command. With a salute, he slowly said, “Yes, master!” before he returned to his looney self.

After Zim left, boredom quickly set in. Gir ignored his only command and pranced around the platform, skipping and humming a song he had just made. What seemed like an hour (Despite it being a mere 15 minutes) a ringing sound alerted him and he ran off to find it.

Back in the ‘living room’, the phone was ringing. Gir flapped on the couch to answer it.

“Hellllooooo?”

_ ‘Hello, this is professor Membr-’ _

“Who is it?”

_ ‘This is Professor Membran-’ _

“Helloooooooo?!”

_ ‘Hello, again. This is Professor Membrane calling on beha-’ _

“I’d like to order a large pepperoni pizza with extra sprinkles!”

“GIR! Who are you talking to? I have been calling you!” Zim spotted him, storming up to the couch and grabbing the phone. “Who is this?!”

_ ‘Hello. This is Professor Membrane calling on behalf of my son, Dib Membrane. Is Zim home?’ _

“Yes… This is Zim. My…. little brother answered the phone! My annoying, human, little brother!” Zim stumbled over, trying on the lie as he shot Gir a glare. “What do you want?”

_ ‘I am setting up a playdate between you and my son, tomorrow afternoon at 2 pm sharp.’ _

“Zim does not do this, ‘play’ you speak of.”

_ ‘Ah, yes. You teenagers! I suppose the preferred term is hang out? No matter the label, this is an invitation to the Membrane house. My poor son has been too involved in aliens to socialize with any of his friends. You are interested, yes?’ _

Normally, going over to a human's house would be revolting. But in this situation, it granted him access to The Dib’s home base. His lab, where he worked, and so on. Much unlike barging in, this was an order from the humans superior officer. The one they call ‘dad’. The Dib had no choice in the matter. No refusal, full cooperation. The green humanoid almost smiled at the thought. “Why, of course. I will be more than interested in attending this ‘Date Of Playing.’ In fact, I might be inclined to bring my… Brother. Thank you. Goodbye.” Zim dropped the phone on the receiver without another word.

“M’ confused. I thought yous didn’t like that boy?” Gir hummed, his head down as he stared at his feet.

“Ah. My stupid little minion. How naive you are. This is an opportunity to see life through the enemy's eyes. To see where he works, how he works, and why he works. This isn’t for The Fun, but an undercover mission. And I am bringing you along.” Zim patted his metal head.

“YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!”

“Yes. Gir. Yay indeed…” Zim chuckled softly, his mind racing with ways to infiltrate Dib’s home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what happened when Dib was asleep? Who knows!

The morning sun broke through the blinds of his window and light up his room, heat soon following. Dib sat there for a minute staring at the ceiling through his blurry vision, not sure if he should make the effort to get up. He was still tired, after all. The teenager groaned and put on his glasses, reaching over to close the binds to save himself from the sun. Gaz may be the dark and broody one, but Dib was the true vampire.

He slowly walked down the stairs, clutching the handrail to steady himself as his sleep-heavy body protested to any sort of movement. Gaz was already up and dressed, tidying up the house and… Cooking breakfast? Gaz never cooked. Dib glanced at the table, a large array of pancakes and waffles set up in two plates.

“No. Nuh-uh. These aren’t for you, so don’t even think about it.” Gaz snapped at him, and Dib held his hands up. He was too tired to argue. “If you’re hungry, eat some cereal.”

But Dib wasn’t hungry. He had no real answer as to why he came downstairs when he could have just as easily stayed in bed.

Bed.

Now that was a thought. A thought Dib was going to pursue. He was up most of the night thinking about Zim and how he was going to deal with the stupid little Irken at his house for a mandatory social session, but now it hadn’t even crossed his mind.

It hadn’t crossed his mind when he woke up, or when he came downstairs to find Gaz chad cleaned the house. It hadn’t crossed his mind when he saw a tray of Irken’s favorite human food, and it won’t cross his mind when the doorbell rings.

Gaz looked up when she heard the sound, and quickly walked out of the kitchen. But Dib was already opening the door. Not Gaz. On their porch, stood an Irken in disguise. Tak.

The thought of Zim and Tak coming over still hadn’t processed in Dib’s tired mind. He blinked, attempted to rub the sleep from his eyes, and calmly closed the door in Tak’s face.

Three seconds.

It took both of the girls three seconds to react.

Gaz ran up to Dib and shook him. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Dib-shit?!” She shoved him and reached for the door, but Tak had already opened it.

“I expect nothing more from a male.” She sneered. Tak looked at Gaz and her demeanor changed completely. “Happy daily rotation around your planet’s star, Gazlene. Do I detect waffles?”

“Is that Irken for saying good morning?” Gaz hummed in a reply.

“No, not Irken. Intelligent. And I assume those are for me.” Tak made herself at home and started for the plate of food.

“Yes, yes they are.” Gaz followed her, leaving Dib alone with a stinging cheek and confused expression.

Not that it mattered to him, anyway. He could hear his bed calling to him. Without another word, he trudged up the stairs.

  
\---

“What is he doing?”

“He’s sleeping, nut-for-brains.”

“SILENCE! THE ZIM HAS BRAINS FOR BRAINS, HUMAN!”

“Quiet, you’re going to wake the subject up!”

“He’s not a subject. Just an idiot who forgot to set an alarm.”

“Mmm?”

“What was that? What is The Dib doing?”

“Zim! literally shut the fuck up.”

Three voices. Dib woke up to three voices. He sat up, reaching for his glasses and rubbing his eyes. When he opened them, Dib found two very large red eyes staring back.

Gaz stood by his doorframe, boredly examining her nails. Tak had picked up a mild interest in the sleeping human, standing in the middle of his room. Zim, however… Zim had no concept of personal space. He stood two inches from Dib, studying something he had rarely done. Sleep.

“He appears to be awake,” Zim noted.

Dib jumped back, extending his foot out to kick Zim, but the green alien dodged out of the way with a smirk. “What are you doing here?!”

“Zim is here for the dating of play. Does The Dib not remember?”

“I mean in my room! Were all three of you watching me sleep?!” Dib yelled, his face flushed from embarrassment.

“I thought that was obvious,” Zim hummed.

“You talk in your sleep.” Tak snickered.

“And drool,” Gaz added.

“Yes, it is quite fascinating how humans can ramble on and on even when their brain is resting. Who is The Megamind?” Zim stepped back before Dib could get another desperate hit in.

Dib’s face grew a shade darker in rage. Or maybe embarrassment. It was a dangerous cocktail. “Get out! All three of you!! I kill you!”

“Wise words coming from someone in Superman pajamas.” Gaz stuck out her tongue, and both aliens laughed at her comment, despite having no idea who Superman is.

“GET OUT!”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some TaGR for the soul.
> 
> Takes place while Dib is sleeping in the last chapter

“God... He’s such an idiot!” Gaz grumbled when her brother was out of earshot. “What the hell is his problem!?”

“I see that action bothered you.” Tak raised an eyebrow, cleverly apart of her disguise.

“He slammed the door in your face! How could that not bother you?”

“The lack of maturity and intelligence of males. Both Human, and Irken. It’s what you would say, ‘No Biggie.’” She cleared her throat and did her best American accent. And it happened to be terrible.

Gaz was mad, sure. But she was always mad. Whether it was at the human race, some kid who beat her high-score, or a stupid older brother. But something about Tak made her feel sane. The alien understood her from the disgust of men to the importance of hand-to-eye coordination when playing a game. Or piloting a ship.

No matter the case, Gaz found herself smiling. Nay,  _ chuckling _ at Tak’s horrible joke. “We don’t sound like that.”

“‘We don’t sound like that.’” Tak repeated, the accent making the corners of her mouth curl.

“No. Stop. Completely unacceptable.” Gaz forced the smile off her face and frowned. It didn’t last. Her cheeks started to hurt. Who knew smiling could be so painful?

Tak’s laughter started softly and died down as she bit into her preferred method of carbohydrates and sugars. Waffles. Nodding to a silicone ring around Gaz’s left wrist. “What is that?” Unlike Zim and Dib, she had the common courtesy to swallow before speaking.

“Oh, this? It’s a bracelet. Along with necklaces, earrings, and rings, humans use them to accessorize.” Gaz lifted up a black chain from under her shirt, on it, a golden ring. “This is a necklace, it goes around your neck. This is a ring, it goes on your finger. And earrings go inside earlobes.” Tucking the necklace back, Gaz pulled back some hair from behind her ear, showing off various pieces of metal in the skin.

“I see… And the colors?”

“The colors…” Gaz repeated softly, looking down at her band. It seemed normal, but to a specific audience, the colors meant something more. Seven stripes of color, the first a dark pink then fading to a white in the middle, and then darkening to a red. The lesbian flag. “The colors mean I like girls. Dib had his own, meaning he likes boys and girls. He got them at a fair and we made a deal to wear them every day. On our right arm if we happened to be dating someone, and the left if we are single.” She glanced away.

“Yes, well… That does make sense. Females are preferred over males.” Tak looked closely at the bracelet.

“I mean romantically. I’m a lesbian. I don’t like boys. At all.”

“No, I know very well what you mean.” She gently pulled off the band, feeling its texture and studying the colors. “I think I feel the same way.” Tak brought the band back to Gaz. When she held up her left hand, Tak shook her head and reached for the right. It was a very small, yet powerful message.

“Tak-” Gaz started, but the Irken cut her off.

“Shush. Tell me more about this Lesbian.”

Gaz smiled. A topic she knew better than the back of her hand. “Are you sure? This is a fuck ton of information.”

“Please. I read your human dictionary for fun.”

“You must be wonderful at parties.”

\---

“And this happens every year?” Tak asked, lying on the couch with her head in Gaz’s lap as she tapped away at her GameSlave.

“Every June. The whole month.”

“And it started as a riot?” Tak thought about moving, but her body didn’t want to. For the past hour or two, she had been on the couch eating snack food that would make the Tallest jealous. 

“At Stonewall.”

“Interesting…”

“You’ve said that ten times.” Gaz rolled her eyes, pausing the game to stretch her fingers.

“That’s because it is, Gazlene.”

“You know you can call me Gaz. No one calls me that. Not even my dad.”

“Gasoline,” Tak suggested with an eyebrow raise.

“Absolutely not.”

“No, I like it. It fits.” Tak smiled.

“Shut up, Tak-Pak.” Gaz shut her game.

“Creative.” She rolled her eyes. “..Leen.”

“Takkie.”

“Wow. You are horrible at this.” Tak let out a soft chuckle. 

“It’s not easy!” Gaz huffed. 

“It’s very easy, Gasoila.”

“Shut up.” Gaz pushed her off as the doorbell rang.

Tak snickered. “Awww… Did I hurt your feelings Gasland?”

“Okay… That one I like.” She raised a finger, pointing at Tak with a warning. “But that’s because it’s a very good game.”

“Well, then I will never call you that again.”

Gaz rolled her eyes and groaned as the doorbell rang over and over again. “Fuck! I’m coming!” She opened the door to find artificial eyes staring back.

Those eyes being contacts of the well-beyond recognizable Zim.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry everyone for the delay!! Have a long chapter to make up for it!

Dib grumbled to himself as he slammed the door, scanning his room for any shirt that was mildly clean. With no luck, he shuffled to the laundry bin and grabbed the first thing he saw. A wrinkled, grey NASA shirt. Dib allowed himself to chuckle at the irony of how his two extraterrestrial house guests would react and slipped it on, grabbing a pair of camo pants too. He ran his fingers through his hair and checked his phone for the weather, grabbing a black jacket from the foot of his bed and opened the door.

Zim hadn’t left the position he was placed in when Dib shoved him out. “...What are you doing?”

“Zim is observing The Dib. Learning your weaknesses.” He replied, standing up straight with pride.

“Yeah. whatever. I can’t react until coffee. Where’s Gaz?” Slouching, Dib was easily taller than Zim. He had grown quite a bit over the years, leaving Zim the same initial height. The Irken was 4 feet and 2 inches, while Dib was reaching for 5’7.

“The sister is in her zoom with Tak.” Zim spat out Tak’s name with poison, and until that moment Dib forgot they had a battle raging on for years.

_ That should be fun _ , Dib mused. Making his way to the bathroom, he glanced back at Zim who followed closely behind. “Hey. why do you do that anyway?”

“Do what?” Zim jumped up on the lidded toilet in vain attempt to see Dib at eye level.

“Why do you always call me, ‘The Dib.’?”

“Zim is confused. Is that not your name?”

“My name is Dib. Not ‘The Dib.’ There is no The. Just Dib.” He explained slowly, opening the mirror mounted to the bathroom wall. Gir was inside eating toothpaste. “Give me that-”

“The Just Dib,” Zim repeated.

“No. Just. Dib.” Dib sighed and snatched the toothpaste from Gir.

“Just Dib.”

“Dib.” He groaned and turned on the facet.

As soon as the water started to flow, Zim looked at it and took a step back. Dib ran his toothbrush under the water and raised a bushy eyebrow at the alien. 

“What are you  _ doing _ ?!” Zim hissed.

Dib momentary thought of him like a cat. He was small as a cat and hissed like one. Zim sure as hell scratched like a cat, but the scars on Dib’s torso could tell you that. Cat’s didn’t like water. “Brushing my teeth.” Dib put his hand under the water.

Zim flinched for him, drawing back sharply and expecting a cry of pain. But it never came. Dib’s skin remained perfectly fine. A wave of curiosity washed over him. Was this liquid different than that of what fell from the sky?

“Come on. It’s okay.” Dib smiled and coaxed him.

Zim moved closer, reaching one hand out and letting the water fall.

Ouch.

Zim screamed, grabbing his wrist with his other hand and rushed away from the water in search of something to dry his hand before the water did any more damage. He tripped and fell backward into the bathroom, twisting and flailing in the shower curtain.

As all of the chaos happened, Dib couldn’t help but laugh. He turned off the water and put the toothbrush in his mouth. “Wha does waer do at?”

“If you're asking why H2O harms Zim,” The boy grumbled, untangling himself. “It doesn’t. In its simplest form, hydrogen and oxygen do nothing to Irken kind. It’s the chemicals and pollutants your filthy planet stores in them.”

Dib spat whatever was in his mouth into the sink, causing a disgusted groan to rise from Zim. He rinsed off his toothbrush and put it back, leaving the room. “Wuss.”

Zim jumped from the bathtub, dragging the curtain behind him. “WHAT DID YOU CALL ZIM?!”

“I called you a wuss. Grow a pair.” Dib calmly replied, walking down the stairs.

“A pair? I have one.” He twitched his antenna.

‘ _ Don’t laugh. He’ll get mad if you laugh.’  _ Dib bit his lip and forced himself to not laugh. “Yup. You sure do, buddy.” He walked into the kitchen and opened a cupboard, grabbing a mug. He filled it up with water and poured it into a coffee maker. Dib pressed a few buttons and slid the mug under the machine.

“What are you doing?” Zim demanded.

“I’m making coffee.”

“What is this, ‘coffee’? Is it a weapon?!”

“To insomniacs, maybe,” Dib mumbled under his breath. “It’s a caffeinated drink made from coffee beans. Caffeine gives us- me, energy.”

Zim watched the mug fill up, and stared at Dib as he reached up to the cupboard again, but a higher shelf. He grabbed three bright orange bottles, opening the caps and putting some of the contents in his hand. They were odd shapes. One was long and skinny, one round and flat, and the last three were ovals. Zim blinked in confusion when Dib put them in his mouth and grabbed the mug. 

“I want to try it.” Zim held out a hand when Dib took a sip.

“You won’t like it.”

“Give it to me!” He demanded.

Dib rolled his eyes and passed over the mug. “Don’t break it. It’s my favorite-”

Zim looked at the porcelain. It was blue, the design of a telephone booth. A reference to something Zim couldn’t understand. He peered inside at the black liquid. A warped Zim looked back from the jagged reflection.

“You’re not going to like it-”

“Shut up!” Zim took a sip. Dib was right. He did not like it. The Irken spat it out and shoved the mug back to Dib. “It’s bitter! Why is your bean juice so bitter?”

“Not everything can be carbs and sugar, Zim.” Dib hummed and took a long sip.

“How are you drinking that?!”   
  


“I like it. That’s how.”

Zim opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by Gaz who stormed down the stairs.

“Dib-Shit, Alien Boy. Upstairs, Now.” Gaz snapped.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Tak learns new teenage stuff and fights with Zim.

Her expression. The furrow of her dark eyebrows that sunk into her eyes matched her unmoving frown. A low growl escaping her throat. He knew he would be caught dead if he continued to stare, but the thin line of black pigment on her eyelids and the black on her lips interested him. 

“Hey, freak! Stop staring! Let’s go!” Gaz yelled, standing on the base of the stairs.

Zim took another step forward. “You’re terrifying. Have you considered being my enemy?”

Across the hall in the kitchen, Dib let out a soft sigh in his coffee and watched the exchange. It meant nothing, but a quiet thought that his title of Zim’s Nemesis and Soul Defender Of Earth could be easily removed surfaced in the back of his mind. 

Gaz didn’t skip a beat, reaching out and grabbing the collar of his pinkish uniform. She was taller than him by a few inches or so. “Listen up you stupid bug-faced bitch. Don’t you  _ ever _ stare at me like that. I have no interest in whatever you and my brother do. I will snap you like a toothpick.” Gaz let go of him and started for the stairs. “Come here. Both of you.”

Zim let out a soft whimper and scrambled to his feet, following her. Dib let out another sigh and finished his coffee, setting the mug down and shoving his hands in the pockets of his jacket. With a slow pace, he walked up the stairs. Zim was watching him, and Dib could sense it. When he looked up, Zim’s eyes quickly averted.

Gaz stopped short at her room, a door covered in caution tape and a million ‘KEEP OUT’ notes. Glancing at Dib, she opened it. “Get in.”

“What? No. No way. This is obviously a trap.” Dib automatically took a step back.

“Get your lanky ass in there, poindexter.” Gaz grabbed his wrist and dragged him.

Her room was the same size as his, decorated completely differently. Her walls were light purple and covered in posters of video games, her bed pushed to the back wall opposite and right to the door. A window with blackout curtains separated the wall between her bed and gaming desk. Her desk itself was white, three tv’s, two laptops, and a state of the art gaming keyboard. The desk setup was complete with a shelf full of dozens of consoles and games, and even a few comics. Her floor was swept hardwood, and a dark purple shag rug in the middle of the room. On the other wall was a mounted flatscreen with two black bean-bag chairs and a small table. The last wall contained two doors between a full body mirror. One door led to Gaz’s bathroom, and the other door was open, leading to her walk-in closet. Her room, unlike Dib’s, was perfectly clean.

Dib hesitantly walked in, instantly spotting Tak. She was wearing a black short sleeve dress, along with grey and white striped leggings, in her human disguise. Tak idly rotated her ankle in a bored fashion as she sat on Gaz’s bed, reading a comic book.

“Uh… Hi?” Dib offered. He’d never seen her so relaxed before. Why was she here? And why did he recognize that dress? His mind started to come up with a list of reasons and possibilities as he plopped down in a bean-bag chair.

Tak looked up from the comic and locked eyes with him. Without a word, she nodded in his acknowledgment. A comment teenage gesture. Where did she learn that?

“What are you DOING?!” Ah. There goes the peace as Zim walked in the room and gaped at Tak.

Tak lowered the comic and rolled her eyes. (Again, where did she learn that?) “I’m reading.”

“For recreation! And those linens?” Zim glared.

Dib froze, the hair on the back of his neck standing up due to the tension. Would he get caught in the middle of this? Where the hell was Gaz?

“It’s called a  _ dress,  _ Zim. It’s quite comfortable.” Tak slowly placed the booklet on the bed.

“It’s not Invader-Protocol. Reading for recreation and wearing something other than uniform is-” Zim started, but Tak cut him off.

“Who cares?” She snapped.

“W-who… Who cares?! Our Tallest of course!” Zim stumbled over his words.

Tak jumped off the bed and scoffed. “The Tallest. Yeah, sure.”

“ _ The _ Tallest? Tak, it’s Our Tallest, My Tallest-”

“NO! No, it is NOT! Don’t you understand?” She took a step towards Zim, her anger rising. “It’s not our anything! Not my anything, either! None of the other Invaders care, and The Tallest certainly don’t! They didn’t care when you trapped me in that room, when I was stuck working on Dirt, and when I crash-landed here. They didn’t care when I was floating in space. They didn’t care then and they don’t care now.”

Zim was speechless, and Dib was almost. He had the inhumane idea to record the conversation.

“They don’t care about me. And you? They hate you.”

“Wh-what? Of course, they don’t! I’m the best Invader they have-” Zim stuttered.

“They kicked you out of the armada and sent you to Earth solely to get rid of you. They don’t care about you, Zim.” Tak hissed.

“Why are you still here then?” He asked softly.

“Because I want to be. Earth is my home now.” She hummed. “I suggest you reevaluate your loyalties, Zim.”

Zim couldn’t look up at her. Or Dib. Zim silently walked out of the room. Dib blinked, processing what had just happened. He shuffled to his feet and glanced at Tak before running after Zim.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone ask for angst?
> 
> My longest chapter yet!

He had to sprint to catch up to him. Dib was an exceptionally fast runner due to his long legs and years of practice chasing the paranormal and being chased by the normal. But he still couldn’t catch up to Zim.

He dashed out of the house and down the street, stopping by the entrance of the forest to take a breath. Zim was fast on his PAK legs, but the metal clanking and added height gave him away. He was hiding poorly behind a tree.

“ZIM!” Dib cupped his hands around his mouth and let out a breathless yell, sliding over to him. “There you are-”

He didn’t have enough time to take another breath before Zim had him pinned up against the tree, one spider-leg piercing though his jacket hood and holding him to a tree. While one leg kept him in place, Zim balanced on the other two. The last one had it’s razor-sharp end an inch from Dib’s neck.

“L-Look… I know y-you’re upset-” Dib started, glancing down at the metal, his Adam’s Apple bobbing with each panicked swallow. “I just came here to ta… Are you… Crying?” He looked up to notice Zim’s large eyes willing with water.

“Zim does not cry!” He snapped, lurching forward. The leg was now touching Dib’s neck.

“O-Okay! Okay! Y-you’re right! I was just a-asking!” Dib could feel his palms starting to collect sweat. “I just want to talk. Can w-we talk?”

“We  _ are _ talking.” Zim squinted, the movement causing the water tension to break and a tear slipped down his cheek.

“Come on, dude. You know what I mean.”

Zim grumbled something and slowly retracted his PAK legs. “You have borrowed time, Dib-Stink.”

“It’s, ‘You’re  _ on _ borrowed time.’ Zim.” Dib rubbed his neck and sat down on a log.

“What?”

“The expression- You know what? Nevermind. So…”

“You’re bad at talking.” Zim sat down on the opposite side of the log.

“Fuck, man! I’m trying! I don’t know how to make myself feel better, let alone someone from another planet! I know some of the stuff you’re going through is hard and all-” Dib ran his fingers through his hair.

“Liar! How would you know what it is like to find out the ones you trusted more than anything betrayed you?!” Zim snapped, jumping up on the log.

“Because it’s happened to me.” Dib sighed, propping up his head with his hand. “I worked so hard to get people to believe. In me, in the paranormal, in aliens. Nothing worked. So I tried harder. Each time I set myself up for success, I failed. Each time I worked harder, I fell further. I thought I could make the world a better place. Make them open their eyes. But-” Dib clenched his fist.

“It just ended up hurting me. My own father thinks I’m crazy. He’s put me in mental hospitals and therapy. He thinks it’s some underlying resentment or issue because of my mom.” Dib’s voice started to crack. “M-maybe it is. Maybe it as. He thinks I blame him. Maybe I do. My p-point is.. You and I are the same. As weird as that sounds… We’re outsiders. We have a mission and the entire universe seems to be against us. The only problem… We don’t need them. I don’t need to prove anything. You don’t need to prove anything. We-”

“Your face is leaking.” Zim pointed out.

“Huh- Oh. Yeah. It’s called crying.” Dib took off his glasses and wiped away a tear. “What I’m trying to say is-”

“I know what you are saying.”

“You do?”

Zim sighed. “Yes. In some ways we…  _ are _ … alike.” He cringed and Dib let out a low chuckle. 

They sat there, Dib awkwardly twiddling his thumbs and Zim thinking. 

“Dib-Stink?” Zim softly asked.

“Yeah?”

“What happened to The Mom?”

Dib blinked. He hadn’t talked about it in years. And to his enemy? No. But… It was time to open up to someone. Anyone. Taking a deep breath, he started. “Well… She died. Years ago. I was a little kid.”

“How did she die?”

“It was… A lab accident… Her and my d-dad… They were experimenting with something. It was something dangerous… My dad was supposed to do the testing while mom recorded the data but… For some reason…” His voice cracked. “There was an explosion. She died. And my dad...Didn’t seem to care… He kept working and found another lab partner like nothing mattered… Like she didn’t exist… No one talks about her… He took down all the family pictures…” Dib gritted his teeth.

“You’re turning red.”

“I’m pissed.”

“Have you considered punching something?” Zim suggested.

“Like you?”

“No, stupid! Like a tree.” Zim took a step back, showing a tree behind him.

Dib grumbled and stood up, winding his fist back.

“Yeah. Do it like that if you want to shatter every bone in your hand.” Zim scoffed.

Dib stared at him. “And how would you do it, smart ass?”

Zim allowed himself to grin. “You put your thumb here, plant your feet like this and then swing.” Zim practiced, aiming for the tree but stopping short before hitting it.

Dib was too stunned at the fact that Zim knew what he was doing to argue, so he did as told. As soon as his fist connected with the rough bark, pain shot through his skin and up to his elbow. It hurt, sure. But not as much as it would have if he’d done it wrong. The pain was… A good distraction. He punched again. And again. And again, until he had made a dent in the tree and his fist was bleeding.

“Humans are so fragile.” Zim shook his head and pulled out some bandages. Had he been carrying them around? He reached for Dib’s hand, and Dib flinched back. “Relax, idiot. I’m wrapping it up.”

  
  


Dib allowed himself to be helped by the one who hurt him the most. “.... Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why are you being so… nice?” Dib asked slowly.

“Your standards are incredibly low if you think this is nice.” Zim cut the bandage and pocketed it. “Besides…”

“Besides what?”

“I don’t know if I want to conquer earth anymore.” The Irken said softly.

“You wHAT?!” Dib yelled out of surprise, causing Zim to flinch.

“Shut up, human!”

“You mean I win?! After four years I finally wi-”

  
The words died in Dib’s mouth and Zim grabbed him and pulled him up, extended by his PAK legs. He drew one sharp needle across Dib’s face, just enough to draw a line of blood. “ ** _I said shut up_ ** .” Zim threw him to the ground, and disappeared into the forest, leaving Dib stunned, and bleeding.


End file.
